Life-preserver.



No. 657,55. Patented Sept. 4, I900. L. S. BICKLEY.

LIFE PBESERVER.

(Application filed Sept. 16, 1899.)

(No Model.)

NlTED' STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS SEPTIMUS BICKLEY, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE BUOYANT CLOTHING SYNDICATILLIMITED, OF SAME PLACE.

LIFE-PRE-SERVER.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 657,156, dated September 4 1900. Application filed September 16,1899. serial No- 780,71S. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS SEPTIMUs BIOK- LEY, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Greenwich, London, England, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Buoyant Clothing, (for which I have made application for patent in Great Britain under No. 3,830 on the 21st day of February, 1899,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to buoyant or lifesaving dress, and has for its object the arrangement and constructionof such an appliance whereby it can be made simply and of low cost. A standard size will without adjustment suit persons of any size from child to adult and of either sex. It can be quickly put on and securely fastened to the body, and the buoyant material is so distributed that the effect is to float the upper part of the body in order to keep the head above water and to overcome the difficulties which obtain with devices which are situated on or are liable to slip down to the lower part of the body and tend to submerge the head instead of keeping it above the surface of the water.

This invention consists in the construction of the dress in the form of a slip-jacket to put on over the head and in the combination therewith of buoyant cuffs and gloves attached thereto.

In order that this invention may be the better understood, it will now be described in relation to the accompanying drawings hereunto annexed, reference being had to the letters marked thereon.

Like letters refer to like parts in the various figures.

Figure 1 is an extended view of the dress. Fig. 2 is a side view of the dress as curved for wearing. Fig. 3 is afront view of same. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of one of the cuffs for wearing on the arm in combination with the other part of the dress. Fig. 5 shows the dress and on ifs fastened upon a person.

The dress Ais formed of buoyant elements B, which may be of cork or other buoyant material or may be air tight chambers. These elements B are fastened to a band C, of flexible material, having a hole D in the center through which the head of the person can pass. The elements B are so arranged upon the band C as to leave lines of flexibility in the proper directions to allow of the dress when put on the person conforming to the contour of the body, such as over the shoulders and around the trunk. Tapes, cords, or straps E are attached at the transverse lines of flexibility of such a length as to pass and be fastened around the body. These are so placed as to lie in the recess existent between the elements 13, so as to engage therewith. The uppermost tape E passes just under the arms and prevents the dress rising up the body. If necessary, a tape may be arranged to pass between the legs to further assist in this direction. The ends F are of similar formationviz., buoyant elements B, supported upon a flexible support G. They are secured to the shoulders of the dress A by tapes, cords, or straps H. The cuffs may be fitted with fingers or mittens to form gloves, if desirable.

The arrangement of buoyant dress upon the arms forms avery useful agent in adj usting and controlling the position of the body in the water.

It will be noted that by reason of the particular arrangement of the buoyant elements on the front and back of the body, with spaces left between these parts under the arms, a

very wide range of circumferential measure of body can be dealt with, the said front and back parts being more or less close together, according to the size of the body.

A great advantage of this type of dress is that it can be readily folded into a compact form for stowage or transit.

Having now described this invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A buoyant or life-saving dress, comprising buoyant elements suspended from the shoulders and depending upon the body, in combination with buoyant cuffs separate from the dress, and tapes or the like for attaching said cuffs to the body-dress, preferably at the shoulder. I r

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

LEWIS SEPTIMUS BIOKLEY.

Witnesses:

RICHARD A. HOFFMANN, WILLIAM CORNHILL. 

